Migration and Refugees in the Balkans and East Central Europe between the Fifteenth and Twentieth Centuries

The Hungarian Historical Review invites submissions for its third issue in 2017, the theme of which will be “Migration and Refugees in the Balkans and East Central Europe”

The deadline for the submission of abstracts: September 30, 2016.

Special Editors: Ulf Brunnbauer & Gábor Demeter

Migration and refugee flight have always been key phenomena in the Balkans and East Central Europe, shaping both the ethnic-religious character of the region and its social and economic structures. Some of the consequences of population movement are obvious, such as ethnic diversity or ethnic homogeneity, and movements of peoples have often been a cause or at least a pretext for tensions and political divisions in the region. Other consequences are less immediately apparent, including the contributions of migration to the economic development of the region. One of the key aims of this thematic issue is to draw attention to these less frequently emphasized effects of migration and population movement from a longue durée perspective(increased economic potential, contributions to social and cultural innovation, facilitation of the division of labor, as well as the complexities of the processes of integration/exclusion/re-integration).

Economic considerations are relevant, but other phenomena related to migration, such as the motives for mass migrations from micro and macro perspective, the religious and social composition of migrant groups, and the perceptions of migrants and refugees among the majority populations also merit examination. The goals of migrant groups, the problems that arise because of population movement, and the ideas of decision-makers concerning the ways in which to address these problems should also be taken into consideration in order to reveal interactions among different groups of agents.

Another key topic is the processes of integration into the socio-economic system. The questions one might consider include:

-how was the preservation of migrant culture promoted, or how did government policies focus instead on diminishing differences and promoting assimilation;

-to what extent did population movement (migration/refugees) contribute to changes in the ruling elites or in economic systems;

-how were different groups of newcomers dealt with by governments.

We welcome articles on both spontaneous and forced, internal (within a country) and interregional (within for instance the Balkans or Central Europe), and international migration (also from a micro perspective), as well as shifts that were sudden or slow.

We welcome case studies, studies based on also on comparative approaches, and studies that offer overviews of a topic or perspective of inquiry, such as studies in microhistory, longue durée, temporal or spatial comparisons (for instance perceptions of refugees and migrants, shifts in the policies of a given state or nation concerning migrants over the course of centuries, differences in the attitudes of several countries regarding the same migrant group), etc. Differences in behavior and the immigration culture of homogeneous and heterogeneous host nations could also be considered.

We invite the submission of abstracts on the questions and topics raised above.

Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words and a short biographical sketch with a selected list of the author’s five most important publications (we do not accept full CVs).

The editors will ask the authors of selected papers (max. 10,000 words) to submit their final articles no later than January 31, 2017. The articles will be published after a peer-review process.

We provide proofreading for contributors who are not native speakers of English.